6 physical effects of binge-watching TV

The problem: Sitting curves your spine into a C-shape, and keeping it that way too long can cause cramped and aching muscles and smushed organs.

The solution: Consider a recliner. It'll let your back keep the natural, better-for-you S-shape it has when you're standing, says Galen Cranz, a posture expert and professor at the University of California Berkeley.

The problem: You get soft. People who say they watch TV "very often" are 40 percent more likely than non-TV watchers to exercise less than one hour a week, according to a six-year study of more than 15,000 adults.

The solution: Use Game of Thrones (or, hell, The Bachelor) as motivation. Seeing someone fit onscreen makes you more likely to want your body to look like his, says research from Boise State in Idaho.

The problem: You're a zombie (and not the badass Walking Dead kind). Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital recently found that a typical binge in front of fluorescent light (about four hours) before bed results in a harder time falling asleep, less REM sleep, and grogginess the next day, even after clocking eight hours. The culprit: The "blue light" TVs emit inhibits the release of melatonin, a hormone that helps you knock off.

The problem: Your ticker will stop beating sooner. An Australian study of national health records found that, on average, every single hour of TV watching after age 25 reduces life expectancy by close to 22 minutes.

The solution: Researchers have discovered little mortality risk for people who watch less than an hour a day. Pick a show that's mentally challenging (like Black Mirror), so you're more likely to need time between episodes.